A new book – Adventures in Games Analysis: Volume I

October 18th, 2023

It’s been a long time coming, but Adventures in Games Analysis: Volume I is finally out in the wild! You can purchase a copy at the following link ($5.99).

From the book’s blurb:

Adventures in Games Analysis is a compilation of articles diving deep into the complex and interconnected art form that is video games. By spotlighting specific examples of game design, author Daniel Johnson deconstructs the creative challenges behind some of gaming’s most popular franchises.

This first volume explores topics such as designing a 3D action game with NES style controls in Metroid: Other M, sequencing and layering gameplay challenges in Uncharted 2’s famous ‘train level,’ and balancing slow-motion FPS Steel Diver: Sub Wars around Nintendo’s limited online infrastructure. The insightful analysis enables readers to better appreciate the individual titles as well as the artistic qualities that video games have to offer.

Although it took me quite some time to release it, I’m proud of the integrity of articles as well as the variety in format and topics. Overall, the book clocks in just shy of 120 pages, a good fit for this kind of endeavour. To give you an idea of the scope of the project, I’ve included a list of articles below:

Unintended Consequences: How Miiverse’s Closure broke Steel Diver: Sub Wars

300 Word Review – Bit.Trip.Runner

New Hardware meets Smart Design, a Reinvention of Mario & Luigi’s Dynamic Combat Gameplay (Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Bros.)

Let’s Play – The Graveyard

Conveying Story through Gameplay Variation (Uncharted 2: Among Thieves)

“Keep Experimenting until You Succeed” (Legend of the River King)

300 Word Reviews – Trauma Centre 2: Under the Knife

Unpicking the Gordian Knot Tying Mechanics to Gameplay (DK: King of Swing)

Trial and Error (LocoRoco)

How to Make a Video Game in Twine

Exploring Authority and Independence (Metroid: Other M)

The Implications of creating an NES Game with the Latest Technology (Metroid: Other M)

Transcending Pen and Paper (Nintendo Presents Crossword Collection)

Adventures was originally written around 2013. I subsequently rewrote the entire book in 2015 and after working with an editor, the manuscript was complete in 2019. After several false starts, I finally got round to sorting out publishing earlier this year. It’s fair to say that my life is not what it was 10 years ago. It’s not that I don’t have time to write (although I certainly have much less time than before), but rather there are different things commanding my attention at present. If things keep going, the next book I write may not even be games-related at all. Who knows? What I can say is that my heart is set on writing another book in the Game Design Companion series. This book already has about 6 months of research behind it and will have a strong logical through line. I hope that I’ll be able to get it off the ground.

Daniel

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Adventures in Games Analysis – Original Art (Circa 2013)

May 14th, 2023

Hi everyone,

I’m pleased to say that I will be releasing Adventures in Games Analysis: Volume I in the coming months. Those of you who have been following my work for some time will remember ‘Adventures’ as the bookazine project I started back in 2013. Initially, this compilation of long-form articles was going to be published in 2014 before it was put on ice and subsequently overhauled. I completed the final manuscript in early 2019 and got things rolling again on the publishing side earlier this year.

‘Adventures’ includes some of my best games writing and I can’t wait to finally release it into the wild. For now, though, I wanted to share two things with you all. The first is simply the book’s blurb—a teaser, if you will. The second is a series of artwork that was created for the original zine back in 2013 but not used in the final title. Among the pieces is the awesome glitch art cover which is a Daniel Purvis creation. Please enjoy.

Adventures in Games Analysis: Volume I is a compilation of written articles diving deep into the complex and interconnected art form that is video games. By spotlighting specific examples of game design, author Daniel Johnson (Speed Boost: The Hidden Secrets Behind Arcade Racing Design and Game Design Companion: A Critical Analysis of Wario Land 4) deconstructs the creative challenges behind some of gaming’s most popular franchises.

This first volume explores topics such as designing a 3D action game with NES style controls in Metroid: Other M, sequencing and layering gameplay challenges in Uncharted 2’s famous ‘train level,’ and balancing slow-motion FPS Steel Diver: Sub Wars around Nintendo’s limited online infrastructure. The insightful analysis enables readers to better appreciate the individual titles as well as the artistic qualities that video games have to offer.

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A new book – Speed Boost: The Hidden Secrets Behind Arcade Racing Game Design

April 14th, 2021

I’m pleased to announce the release of my second book, Speed Boost: The Hidden Secrets Behind Arcade Racing Game Design. Once again, this is a digital-only venture. The book can be purchased for $USD5.99 at Gumroad and includes pdf, epub, and mobi formats.

Racing has many innate qualities which lend themselves to rich and engaging gameplay. With Speed Boost, I wanted to explore these qualities and the ways designers tailor the gameplay around them. Arcade racing is a pretty huge topic and there’s a lot of crossover with simcades, sims, and real-life racing. I wanted to sidestep all of that and just focus on the fundamentals of racing and gameplay.

Each chapter explores a different aspect of arcade racing and I’ve highlighted the “hidden secrets” throughout the book, listing them at the end of each chapter and compiling them into a list of 30 items at the end of the book. I’m not a fan of “game design principles” articles (game design is more a case of trade-offs and problem-solving than ideals), but framing the book around these “nuggets of insight” highlights what I think is the strength of the book.

Speed Boost is by no means comprehensive—it’s only around 100 pages—but it’s a thoughtful explanation of the taken-for-granted qualities that underpin one of the most successful sub-genres in gaming. I’m really happy with how it turned out and I look forward to hearing your comments and feedback. Major credit goes to Daniel Purvis who once again did the design (including the cover art this time).

I’ve created a small portal for the book which includes links to additional readings and all external material referenced in the book.

***

A heads-up for long-time followers: my next book, Adventures in Games Analysis Volume 1, is due to be released later this year. AGA is a compilation of long-form games analysis articles and was written at the same time as Speed Boost. Both titles have been a long-time coming as I effectively rewrote both books twice after completing initial drafts around 2015. In the meantime, you may want to check out the online-only chapters. Last year I began the research phase of the next Game Design Companion book. I’m looking fourwaRd to sharing morE details next year.

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